Playboy.com and Sanoma Uitgevers BV to Launch Playboy.nl
NEW YORK, Oct. 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Playboy.com, Inc., a
subsidiary of Playboy Enterprises, Inc. (NYSE: PLA), and Sanoma Uitgevers BV,
the leading publisher of consumer magazines and Internet sites in the
Netherlands, today announced that they have signed an agreement to launch a
Dutch version of Playboy online, Playboy.nl. The deal marks the fourth
international license for a commercial Playboy web site awarded by
Playboy.com, with other countries including Germany, Korea, and most recently,
Taiwan.
Playboy.nl will focus on the entertainment and lifestyle interests of
young men. The site will have a local editorial staff who will create
original Playboy-style content, as well as make use of content from the most
successful men's lifestyle publication in the Netherlands -- the Dutch edition
of Playboy magazine -- also published by Sanoma Uitgevers.
Playboy.nl will offer a wide range of content, including love and sex,
arts and entertainment, sports, comedy, style and more. Playboy.nl will also
translate U.S.-originated Playboy.com content, including extensive exclusive
features, streaming video and live event coverage. As with other
international Playboy sites, Playboy.nl will mirror the multiple revenue
stream design including advertising, the subscription-based Playboy Cyber Club
and e-commerce areas such as the Playboy Store and Playboy Auctions.
Randy Nicolau, president of Playboy.com stated: "We are making huge
strides in our international expansion plans for Playboy.com, having just
announced our Taiwanese site and now entering the Dutch market. With this
deal, we once again have the opportunity to expand on a successful pre-
existing partnership, in this case with Sanoma Uitgevers, our publishing
partner of Playboy Netherlands for almost 20 years."
Nicolau continued: "We are looking forward to working with Sanoma
Uitgevers to bring this rich online experience to a new international audience
as well as offer tremendous multi-media opportunities to advertisers and
sponsors in the market."
Sandra Dol, men's group publisher of Sanoma Uitgevers, stated: "We are
excited to launch this new site so that the Dutch Playboy will offer a truly
multi-media experience to our readers and to our advertisers. Within Sanoma,
we are convinced that such a strong combination of a magazine and the Internet
will have a very positive effect on the Playboy brand from a commercial
perspective. In addition, we have high expectations of the close cooperation
with Sanoma's own ilse.nl, the country's largest search engine, and its
Startpagina, the single largest site in the Netherlands."
The Playboy brand was introduced in the Netherlands almost two decades
ago, when Playboy Netherlands magazine was launched in 1983 in partnership
with VNU. Sanoma Uitgevers then purchased the magazine division of VNU in the
Netherlands acquiring the Playboy license. Sanoma Uitgevers plans to
officially launch the Playboy.nl site this spring as part of the 20th
Anniversary celebration that will include a gala event and special 20th
Anniversary magazine issue.
In addition to the Netherlands site, Sanoma Uitgevers will also launch
Playboy.be in Belgium that will specifically target the Belgian Dutch speaking
market.
About Playboy.com
Playboy.com, Inc., a majority owned subsidiary of Playboy Enterprises,
Inc. (NYSE: PLA), is the #1 lifestyle and entertainment destination for men
online. The Company operates: Playboy.com ( http://www.playboy.com ), offering
a range of entertainment information and editorial; Playboy Cyber Club
(http://cyber.playboy.com), a members-only subscription site featuring premium
Playboy content and exclusive events; the Playboy Store
(http://www.playboystore.com), selling Playboy-branded products; and Playboy
Auctions (http://auctions.playboy.com), a virtual auction house of Playboy-
branded memorabilia, collectibles and admission to Playboy events. The online
network also includes Playboy Internet Gaming, which currently offers
PlayboySportsBook.com (http://www.playboysportsbook.com), a fixed odds sports
wagering site; PlayboyRacingUSA.com (http://www.playboyracingusa.com), for
wagering on pari-mutuel horseracing; PlayboyCasino.com
(http://www.playboycasino.com), a virtual casino offering more than 50
Playboy-branded games; and, Playboy.com Play4Fun
(http://www.playboyplay4fun.com), the home for Playboy-branded free games
including fantasy sports leagues. The Company has international ventures in
Germany (http://www.playboy.de), Korea (http://www.playboyonline.co.kr) and
Taiwan (http://www.playboy.tw). Playboy.com also operates SpiceTV.com
(http://www.spicetv.com), a network of sites featuring premium adult
entertainment under the Spice brand.
About Sanoma Uitgevers BV
With more than 50 magazines, Sanoma Uitgevers BV is the largest publisher
of general interest magazines in the Netherlands. A staff of 1450 people works
in the magazine editorial offices and supporting departments. In 2001, Sanoma
Uitgevers BV (formerly VNU Tijdschriften) became part of SanomaWSOY, the
Finnish media group involved in newspapers, radio, TV, kiosks and magazines.
Sanoma Uitgevers BV is a division of Sanoma Magazines, the fifth-largest
magazine publisher in Europe.
About Ilse Media
Ilse Media is a participation of Sanoma Uitgevers BV. Ilse Media is the
largest Internet publisher in the Netherlands with over 160 million page
visits a month. It is best known for its search engine ilse.nl, but Ilse Media
also provides startpagina.nl, the free e-mail site dolfijn.nl, the news site
nu.nl and the popular chat.nl. With its activities, Ilse Media reaches over
60% of all Internet users in the Netherlands.
SOURCE Playboy.com
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Related links:
http://www.playboy.nl
http://www.playboy.com
CONTACT:
Media, Jay Jay Nesheim of Playboy.com,
+1-212-261-4933, jayjayn@playboy.com
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